Which are the best love stories from Bollywood movies?

The usual storyline of a typical Bollywood romance would feature the following:

a) a chance encounter between good looking men and women,

b) an obvious love at first sight or the obvious development of one over the course of an unbreakable friendship or an undeniable hatred, and

c) an obstacle in the form of family, social standing or interestingly, a character’s past.

The unexpectedness of events tugs at heartstrings everywhere, forcing the audience with the help of powerful ballads and dialogues to weep along with the characters. Following the interval, the movie would tackle said odds to reach a solution and finally a happy or unhappy ending. It is surprising how the latter, although unfortunate has numerous takers these days.

The plot is patched together with a couple of songs here and there selectively scattered in the storyline, marking the seminal points of their journey, changing with their changing moods. These songs are a key instrument in successfully conjuring up appropriate emotions, usually on the lines of love, sorrow, reunion or heartbreak. They have the ability to transport a movie to a peak even when the narrative falls short.

Now that we have gone over the basics of a conventional Bollywood love story, let us see the top ten movies that in my opinion have stood the test of time. However, let us agree that Bollywood is packed with hundreds of such stories and this list, by all means, is endless.

(The following has been categorized on the basis of their release year)

Shree 420 (1955)

Considered to be an adaptation of Charlie Chaplin’s famous work - Little Tramp, Shree 420 (or Shri 420) is the story of a man finding honest love through a series of hardships and disillusionment. The jodi (couple) of Raj and Vidya portrayed by the legendary pair of Raj Kapoor and Nargis gave us the memorable “Pyaar huya, iqraar huya hain/ pyaar se phir kyun darta hain dil?” (Love has happened, the acceptance of love too has happened/ yet why is my heart afraid to love?) sequence, persuading even the most disbelieving audience of an ultimate love story. Duped into believing in a future dipped in fortune and riches, Raj is misled into a world of trickery and deceit by the corrupt Seth Sonachand Dharmanand. The honest and pious Vidya senses this corruption and forewarns him about it. Raj paying no need to her warnings walks along, eventually discovering the dirt he is trapped in. He manages to fight his way to victory against the deception of the Seth and finally reunites with his beloved, Vidya.

Mughal-e-Azam (1960)

Mughal-e-Azam narrates the story of a love affair between Prince Salim and Anarkali played by legendary actors Prithviraj Kapoor and Madhubala under the torturous reign of Emperor Akbar. Akbar is against the relationship and sees it as a possible hindrance to the future of his empire. Salim for the sake of love rebels against his vicious father but ultimately loses the battle. They are both punished severely. The film is absolutely iconic for showcasing fierce love and also delivering for later lovers- a serious, recurring question : “jab pyaar kiya toh darna kya?” loosely translated as “why be afraid when you have fallen in love?”.

Silsila (1981)

Said to be vaguely inspired by the real life complicated relationship between Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha, Silsila documents the role of faith in the tussle between love lost and regained. The narrative follows the complicated relationship of the orphan Amit Malhotra played by Amitabh Bachchan. He is pursuing the enigmatic, Chandni played by Rekha whereas his brother, Shekhar is pursuing Shobha, a lovely naive girl, played by Jaya Bachchan. After a brief period of unadulterated love and happiness, trouble crops up in paradise when Shekhar, played by Shashi Kapoor dies, leaving his betrothed, Shobha, with a child. Amit is then forced to marry her in the place of his brother, to save the situation. The plot complicates further when an illicit relationship matures between Chandni and Amit and eventually threatens to destroy their own marriages. The story no matter how complex, is made complete with the enigmatic words of Javed Akhtar who pens the most accurate songs, from the perfect festive track: “rang barse” (a downpour of colours) to: “dekha ek khwab, toh yeh silsilein huye” (the series of events happened when I saw a dream) to string the narrative together.

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988)

Often referred to as QSQT, the film is believed to be an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s immensely popular work, 'Romeo and Juliet'. Randhir Singh and Dhanraj Singh are the traditional Hindi movie enemies due to something that happened during their childhood. However, there comes a time when their children Raj and Rashmi, played by Amir Khan and Juhi Chawla fall in love and everything around them starts to disintegrate and fall apart. They receive an open opposition from their fathers, but these are people in love and they will do anything to stay together. Perhaps the most remembered episodes are the breathtaking “akele hain, toh kya gham hain” (so what if we are alone) sequence and the farewell anthem “Papa kehete hain, bada naam karega” (Father says that I’ll be famous). The movie concludes with the lovers dying in the name of love like Romeo and Juliet did, all the while surpassing the mortal barriers of power and enmity into the pure sphere of love.

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994)

Packed with the essential Sooraj R. Barjatya flavor, this movie has everything from songs to elaborate dances, plush weddings to nosy aunties, melodrama down to the most adorable dog! Prem and Rajesh played by Salman Khan and Mohnish Bahl lost their parents at a young age and are raised by uncle Kailashnath, who is portrayed by Alok Nath. Looking for a suitable bride for Rajesh, Kailashnath asks for the hand of his old friend Professor Siddharth Chaudhary’s (played by Anupam Kher) elder daughter, Pooja. Professor Chaudhary and Mrs. Chaudhary played by Reema Lagoo have two daughters, Pooja played by Renuka Shahane and Nisha played by Madhuri Dixit. Love blooms between Prem and Nisha during the wedding of their siblings amidst the silly, yet traditional ceremony of stealing the groom’s shoes.They face a minor obstruction but that is soon taken care of. The movie is replete with beautiful, happy songs like “jootein do, paise lo” (give us the shoes, take the money) and “Didi, tera dewar deewana” (oh sister, your brother-in-law is crazy) that have become essential in all Indian sangeets and weddings even after all this time.

1942: A Love Story (1994)

Reportedly inspired by the Kannada movie Mysore Mallige; the declining British empire forms the symbolic backdrop for this movie. During such a period of political unrest, love blooms between Naren Singh played by Anil Kapoor and Rajeshwari Pathak, also Rajjo, played by Manisha Koirala. Things start taking an ugly turn when disputes arise due to the conflicting temperaments of both their fathers, Diwan Hari Singh, a loyal British employee played by Manohar Singh and Raghuvir Pathak, a revolutionary played by Anupam Kher. This eventually leads to a series of misfortunes and the ultimate killing of Rajjo’s father, Raghuvir. When Naren discovers that it was, in fact, his father, Hari Singh who had tricked him into leaking the information leading to his death, he severs all ties with him. He decides to make things right and along with Rajjo and Shubhankar, a fellow patriot played by Jackie Shroff stand up to this corruption and intolerance. The film ends on a patriotic note to show the audience a different picture of love: one that faces the most life threatening situations and yet remembers to live up to their personal honesty. From “ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga” (what I felt when I saw a girl) to “pyaar hua chupke se” (love happened silently), the movie laced with R.D. Burman’s music and Javed Akhtar’s unforgettable words make it a must watch for all cinephiles.

Bombay (1995)

Mani Ratnam’s Bombay is drawn against the canvas of the Hindu-Muslim riots around 1992-1993. It was originally made in Tamil and later in Hindi for Bollywood. Shekhar, a journalist played by Arvind Swamy is a member of a conservative Hindu family who meets Shaila Banu played by Manisha Koirala, who is a Muslim woman. Their falling in love not only sees opposition from their families but also eventually starts taking a communal turn. Coupled with the ethereal music of A.R. Rahman, the movie stands on the eternal answer to love : “tu hi re” (only you) urging viewers to believe in the possibility of love even in the darkest hours of life.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

Even twenty years later, the charm of DDLJ remains unscathed. It is an iconic love story set against the notion of an Indian father growing his family in a foreign land, his stubborn desire to abide by his own principles, prejudices and the undying sense of homesickness. The movie sets the trademark plot of crossing all barriers in the name of love. The love between Raj and Simran played by the perfect duo of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol acts as an underlying tying force for the incidents occurring in the plot. Raj and Simran fall in love after running into each other in the most epic way possible. Their story changes countries, forcing Raj to track her down from Zurich to India in an attempt to stop Simran’s predestined arranged marriage fixed by her father, played by the late, great Amrish Puri. The movie delivers itself in all ways possible, asking viewers to believe that in love they will find themselves, at least once, running on bright, yellow mustard fields to their beloved with “tujhe dekha toh ye jaana sanam/ pyaar hota hain deewana sanam” ( after seeing you, my beloved, I now know that love is crazy) playing in their hearts.

Dil Se.. (1998)

After Roja and Bombay, this is Mani Ratnam’s third movie in a series where he tries to hold up the intensity of relationships against a political scenery of social chaos and truth be told, Dil Se.. is nothing short of a masterpiece. It is a war thriller and the central roles of Amarkant Varma and Meghna (or Moina) are played by Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. Amarkant is a Program executive for All India Radio and meets Meghna amidst a cinematic gust of air at the Haflong train station. The movie takes us on a thrilling journey that Amar takes in trying to reach her and profess his love for her but their situations are life-threatening and it is enough to keep us on the edge of our seats. The movie is brilliantly cinematic and the music, surreal, to say the least. The title Dil Se.. is correctly suggestive of the movie being right from the heart and their love, completely selfless.

Lootera (2013)

Partly based on O. Henry’s The Last Leaf, the first part of the movie is set in 1953. It traces the romantic relationship between Sonakshi Sinha’s Pakhi Roy Chaudhary and Ranveer Singh’s Varun Shrivastav. Varun pretends to be an archaeologist and starts working on her family’s estates in West Bengal with an intention to rob a precious artifact. But their sudden, silent romance cuts through everything. It is shot beautifully under a perfect golden light and against the most melodious music where one can see Pakhi decorate her heart for Varun : “sawaar loon, sawaar loon”. Their fates turn when Varun flees right before their marriage and resurfaces many years later while trying to escape the police, to an older, more mature Pakhi. There is no light in her eyes, but the love is somewhere inside her still, intact. It would not be incorrect to say that every frame manages to deliver a subtle, old-world charm, persuading the audience, to believe in love, no matter what.